I am a Weather Geek. And that weather geek is twin to my inner menu-planner. Last Thursday I got really excited after checking the weather forecast – 100% chance of rain all weekend! We had a really, really, really mild winter in Southern California this year. And for someone who cooks/bakes according to season and

“From this day forward I declare that I am a vegetarian!” About two weeks ago Madison issued the above proclomation citing animal rights and just the overall “gross texture” of meat as her reasons for forever forsaking meat. (I suspect it also had something to do with the fact that her mother has NO IDEA

Hands-down one of my favorite meals to cook and eat – especially in Autumn – is homemade mac and cheese. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not above eating the “cheesiest” variety that comes in that blue box, but when I’m really craving some pasta and cheesy goodness, I’m all about making it from scratch. I’ve

Now that I’ve emerged from my Mad Men induced stupor, (complete with a full bar – but I don’t blame the show. I’ve always wanted a cool cabinet complete with different serving glasses, liquor and mixers and watching 52 episodes of the BEST PERIOD DRAMA EVER finally spurred me to do it,) I’m ready to

Remember that scene in “City Slickers” where everyone has just finished eating dinner and the “Ice Cream Brothers” (who I suspect were not-so-loosely-based on Ben and Jerry) decide what flavor would be best for dessert? Well, I’m kinda like that. Except my specialty is side salads. Give me the main course – fish, beef, chicken,

Yes, I know. It really was a rhetorical question. Most people know, rice is the most important staple food for a large part of the world’s human population, especially in East and South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies. And I think I’ve recently joined them. Blame it on Northstar’s rice

I don’t know why, but for some reason I love leeks. As far as I know my mom never really cooked with them so it’s not like I’ve got some wonderful childhood memories tied up with the smell of gently simmering leeks, (like I do with spaghetti sauce.) They look like big, fat overgrown scallions

Sometimes dinner is just dinner – nothing fancy or extravagant or particularly exciting. But still, it’s always nice to hear, “That was a good dinner.” Growing up, my mom’s standard way to cook chicken was to put the bone-in breasts in a big frying pan and cover them with a ton of onions and a

I apologize in advance for going all Julia on you, but really, what do you expect after a (quite large) glass of wine and total immersion in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” volumes one AND two. I may ramble. And you have been forewarned. It’s no secret to my family that I’ve been struggling

My Grandpa Vern passed away just this past October and at his service, each of his three kids (my mom and two uncles,) my brother and I were all asked to speak. Inevitably, we shared stories about his career, international travels, vacations to Tahoe, strict rules (eating bacon with a fork?) and love of the